Birthday Broccoli

Greetings From The Front Porch!

It was the deepest brightest green I had ever seen, the handle of the gift was thick and cold and the texture was bumpy and soft. “Would she really love her present?” Most people want chocolate cake, possibly even vanilla ice cream to celebrate the day of their birth but as I listened well and lived in the moment, I realized that if I brought her cake or ice cream it would have been for my own pallet not hers. The greatest gift I could give my friend was the knowledge that I was listening well and knew her heart.

I arrived at her doorstep with anticipation in my spirit as I held tightly to the gift bag, the red curly ribbon tided to the handles had been twisted around my fingers and I had to gently un-wrap my hands from the bag as not to drop the gift and ruin the surprise. I was a little nervous about her reaction, I could feel the butterflies starting to flap their wings in my belly as I thought to myself, “what if she didn’t like it?”


However, giggles started to form in my soul as I pictured myself handing her the bag and watching her slowly take the tissue paper off the top where she would find the gift hiding in another bag inside the bag. I remember as a small child how much fun I use to have opening a gift inside a gift and thought she would get a kick out of doing the same, the memory came to a close just as the door opened and my friend greeted me with a smile.


I could barely contain myself, I wanted to shove the gift in her face and have her open it right there in the entryway. However, I stayed cool and calm as if I was holding an everyday, average birthday surprise.


I handed her the bag and encouraged her to stop what she was doing for one moment so she could open up her gift. Her present went so well with her preparation of the lunch we were going to have with our visit, and I could barely contain myself as she took the bag and started to venture into the gift.


She peered into the bag, her eyes squinting as if she was having a hard time making out the shape of the gift through the second layer of wrapping, she looked up at me, grinned and then delved back into the package, pulling out the wrapped gift and pulling apart the paper.


She was seconds away from revealing the gift and once again, I thought to myself, “I hope she likes it.” I had been paying attention, listening well and asking good in hopes of hitting the mark in the area of presenting her a gift that she would forever remember and start a tradition that she would never forget.

The wrapping paper floated to the ground as she squealed and laughed, I knew at that moment I had hit the mark. There she stood holding in her hand the most beautiful stock of birthday broccoli I had ever scene and was hoping she had ever scene as well.

Yes, I said birthday broccoli, not chocolate cake or vanilla ice cream but a fresh serving of veggies straight from the store, something I knew only she would appreciate. I wanted to honor her goal and celebrate her choices as she started off a new year celebrating whose she was by taking care of who she is.

I love living in the moment and trusting God with the future, birthday broccoli and all.

Happy Wednesday my friends, do not forget, listen well, ask good and pause on purpose!

Cris